Barcelona targets Tresoldi as Plan B for No. 9
Barcelona will not close this transfer window without a new centre-forward. Inside the club, that message is crystal clear. The conviction is that a striker will arrive, and that the ideal name is still Julián Álvarez.
The belief at Barça is that Álvarez will eventually force his way out of Atlético Madrid, with the Argentine determined to leave. But the clock is ticking, negotiations are complex, and the sporting department cannot afford to wait blindly. So a parallel track is already in motion.
One name has moved quickly up that list.
Tresoldi on Barça’s radar
In England, reports picked up by SPORT point firmly towards Nicolo Tresoldi. Barcelona have been following the Club Brugge striker closely after his breakout season in Belgium, where he finished as the club’s top scorer.
At 21, Tresoldi is already a Germany U-21 international and one of the most talked‑about young forwards in Europe. Premier League clubs and AS Roma have already knocked on Brugge’s door this summer, but the Belgian side have stood firm. Their price: more than €40 million. For now, that figure has kept him where he is.
Barcelona, though, have done their homework. The club already hold detailed information on a potential deal and have made initial contact with the player’s camp, stopping short of a formal move. Scouts have been working intensively on his profile in recent days, treating him as one of the most attractive young No. 9s currently accessible on the market.
Hansi Flick knows him well from Germany’s youth national teams. The Barça coach has received strong internal reports on Tresoldi’s progress and is convinced the forward has developed significantly, with the upside to grow into a star.
A striker who has already hurt Barça
Brugge are not easy to deal with. Barcelona learned that in the negotiations for Jesse Bisiwu, and the Belgian club are again positioning themselves as hard bargainers. They also understand, though, that holding on to Tresoldi will be extremely complicated if a heavyweight club arrives with a serious offer.
Last season, he was their reference point in attack, delivering several standout performances and finishing with 24 goals in all competitions. One of those goals came against Barcelona. In the 3-3 Champions League draw, Tresoldi tormented the Blaugrana back line, constantly finding space and turning into a genuine problem for their defenders.
That night did not go unnoticed at the Ciutat Esportiva.
Tresoldi is still a work in progress, but his profile fits many of Barcelona’s current needs at No. 9. He links play well, combines intelligently with teammates, and operates effectively in tight spaces. He tends to shine against deep defensive blocks, something Barça face almost every week in La Liga. Inside the box, he is a sharp finisher. His dribbling, by contrast, remains one of the weaker parts of his game.
All of that makes him an appealing, but not risk‑free, target. He is not yet a finished product, and committing a significant fee to a developing striker always carries a degree of uncertainty.
Álvarez still the priority
Inside the sporting department, one line remains underlined in red: Julián Álvarez is Plan A. Flick and Deco are aligned on that. Every effort continues to be directed towards bringing the Argentine to Montjuïc.
But Barcelona cannot afford to be caught without alternatives if that operation stalls or collapses. So a Plan B is being built in parallel, quietly but firmly.
For now, Barça will wait and keep pressing on the Álvarez front. At the same time, the Catalan club are combing through a wide range of options.
Nicolo Tresoldi is no longer just a name on that list. He is firmly in the conversation.
